Bush, Perot supporters express concerns
hresiaent s loss,
Clinton’s victory
dismays students
By Jeff Zeleny
Staff Reporter
Trent Steele is scared and concerned for the
United States.
After watching presidential election results
at Lincoln’s Republican election night head
quarters, Rock ‘n Roll Run/a, Steele said he
was disappointed with President Bush’s final
campaign results.
Nationally, Bush was defeated by Demo
cratic challenger Bill Clinton. In Nebraska,
with 99 pcrccntolThc precincts reporting, Bush
won 314,599 votes, or 4 7 percent of the popular
vote.
Steele, a junior education major, said he
wasn’t sure what President-elect Bill Clinton
- it
I hope we can withstand four
years of liberals in the White
House.
Steele,
president, UNL College Republicans
-99 ~
would do for thccouniry. Steele speculated that
a Clinton-run White House would produce
more spending and push the economy down.
“I hope we can withstand four years of
liberals in the White House,” he said.
Doug Bcreulcr, Republican 2nd District rep
resentative echoed Steele’s concern for the
United Slates, but he said Clinton’s perfor
mance in the White House depended on which
senators and representatives were elected.
If more liberal democrats arc elected, the
House of Representatives would be more lib
eral than Clinton would like on most issues,
Bcreulcr said.
Bcreulcr warned that Clinton would be “bad
news” for most Nebraskans as president.
“We don’t know about the democratic posi
Michelle Paulman/DN
Kim VanEngen, far left, watches election results with other UNL students at the Republican Party s election rally
Tuesday night at Rock ‘n Roll Runza, 14th and P streets.
lion on agriculture — there’s no platform,’’
Bcrcutcr said. “He’s a novice with agriculture.”
Cara Catlett, a UNL College Republican
and junior political science major, said she
thought Bush was closing the gap in the polls
and was surprised with the results. She said the
economic situation probably would not im
prove when Clinton takes office in January.
Small businesses slowly will be eliminated
because of payroll taxes and health insurance,
Catlett said. The job market will shrink and it
will be harder for college students to find jobs
after graduation, she said.
Kristine Hubka, a senior political science
major and state vice president of the College
Republicans, said UNL College Republicans
had been gearing up for the election all semes
ter and had seen student membership double.
Students have been actively involved in the
election, she said. In October, 60 College Re
publicans went to St. Louis to watch the first
presidential debate. During the past week, stu
dents have handed out stickers at home Ne
braska football games and have done volunteer
phone work.
Hubka said she was disappointed with Bush's
early showing. But she was pleased with Ne
braska results and the local youth effort.
Bush praised the nations’ youth during his
concession speech in Houston.
“Do not be deterred by the smoke and fire ol
the campaign year,” he said.
Catlett said she was heartened by Bush’s
statement.
“He encouraged young people to get in
volved,” she said. “It’s a challenge to our
generation.”
‘United We Stand members
intend to keep dreams alive
By Susie Arth
Senior Reporter_
As the hopes of electing Ross Perot to the
presidency came to an abrupt end, his support
ers in Nebraska kept their dreams alive Tues
day night.
“‘United We Stand’ isslillvcry muchalivc,”
said Matt Wicklcss, the Nebraska slate direc
tor of the Perot campaign, referring to the
national Perot movement. “We sent a message
to Washington.”
With 99 percent of Nebraska’s precincts
reporting, the Texas Billionaire picked up 24
percent of the vote. In Lancaster County, Perot
won 20.8 percent of the vote.
A crowd-of about 60 Perot supporters gath
ered at the Villager Motor Inn, 5200 O St., to
watch the results of the election come in and
hope the impossible would come true.
John Hiffcrnan, a volunteer for Students for
Perot, said Perot’s integrity separated him
from the other candidates.
“I believed in him, and I still believe in
him,” he said. “(Perot) meant it when he said
he wanted to change our country."
Hiffcrnan said he believed the United Slates
missed out on an opportunity to elect a truly
unique man to the presidency.
“Ross Perot would have been one of the
*** most dynamic presidents in the history of our
country,” he said. “We would have seen action
in Washington.”
Hiffcrnan said he believed Perot would
have been effective in foreign policy and
, lowering the national debt.
“The Germans and the Japanese would
have shudderpd coming to the debating table,
with Perot,’’ he said.
Cristcn Hiffcrnan, John’s wife and another
volunteer of Students for Perot, said she was
pleased with the efforts of the Perot campaign.
“It’s a feat in itself that this whole move
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I believed in him, and I still
believe in him. (Perot) meant
it when he said he wanted to
change our country.
Hiffernan
volunteer for Students for Perot
-*? "
mcni happened,” she said.
John said he was fearful for the country with
Clinton as president.
Clinton, he said, is a politician who cares
little for the welfare of the American people.
“I hope I’m throng, though — I really do —
for the sake of our country,” he said.
Keith Chambers, coordinator of the Perot
campaign in Nebraska’s 1st District, said he
was pleased with the results of Perot’s cam
paign.
“Some people might think we’re losers, but
we’re not,” he said. “I think we won all 50
states.
“Our biggest chal lenge is going to be to slay
on Bill Clinton and the Democratic Congress’
back and get what we want," he said.
Norman Ough, coordinator of the Perot
campaign in Nebraska’s 3rd District, told sup
porters he believed there was enough support
for Perot’s cause to keep the momentum going.
“We’ve got a big job ahead of us,” he said.
“I depend on you to help keep this thing
going.”
Wicklcss said he believed the Perot cam
paign could change the belief that Americans
must subscribe to the policies of one of the two
parties.
Perot, he said, gave Americans the opportu
nity to speak out against the Democrats and the
Republicans.
mi1U .Ihr ^
—- ,--- — • Robin Trimarchi/DN
UNL students Cristen and John'Hiffernan, both volunteers forStudents for
Perot, watch the Texas billionaire speak to supporters at a televised rally in
Dallas Tuesday night.